9 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sofya

Los Angeles, California

The weekend flew by and it was quickly Monday. Days passed, life continuing but I couldn't seem to focus on anything. Ash hadn't spoken to me since the party, which was disappointing but I tried to ignore it. Not that he was at school to speak with me anyway. Soon enough two weeks passed by and Ash hadn't been to school in any part of those two weeks. We all started to wonder where he went.

I sat in the first hour with Sorina, who was chatting my ear away. I tried to listen but I was so exhausted from practice and the swim meet the night before, that I was doing my best not to fall asleep.

A few minutes from the bell Ash came striding into the classroom, dark bags under his eyes. He looked like hell, but the most gorgeous hell. That didn't make me any less worried though. Where had he been? My eyes followed him till he made his way to his seat and slumped in it. I turned around to face him.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. I wasn't sure if I was pushing the boundaries or not, but I was concerned. Ash's eyes met mine, cool and with no emotion.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He said quietly, a slight snap to his voice. I bit my lip and turned back around, he didn't want to talk about it. I laid my head on my arms and my eyes slipped closed, finally giving in to my exhaustion from sleepless nights and swim practice. Even though I shouldn't have been sleeping in class. Sorina woke me at the end, and I got up and trudged out.

I surprisingly made it through to the end of the day. I decided to skip practice. I practically ran to my car and sped the whole way to Sam's mansion.

Once at the house I rushed in and sprinted upstairs and collapsed onto my bed.

I took about an hour nap, then decided to go get a snack. I opened the doorway, the hallway was barren as usual. I walked down the hall and over to the stairs but as I rounded the corner I ran smack dab into someone one and we went tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Somehow we came to a stop with me sprawled across their chest. I peeked up to see who it was. I gasped. It was Ash, of all people to run into. Why him? Wait a minute. The heck? What was he doing here?

"Ash?" I asked my voice questioning. He looked slightly annoyed, well he had a good reason to be. I had been the one not looking where I was going and in doing so ran right into him.

"I live here." He simply said. "What are you doing here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. My mouth fell open, as the realization hit me.

"You're Sam's son? Why haven't I seen you all this time? Did you know I lived here?" I asked.

"Wait, you are the foster kid we took in? Oh crap." He said, cursing. I was flabbergasted, was I so horrible to be around? My parents had left me so I guess everyone else eventually would as well. "NO!" He yelled, suddenly, Then realizing he just yelled, much quieter he said. "What I meant was you are nice to be around, I just am usually not around people much." He mumbled. "But then again you should stay away from me. Monsters like me and will inevitably hurt you, just like everyone else." He said it was almost too soft for me to hear.

What did that mean? And Ash was the farthest thing from a monster, how dare he perceive himself that way. If anyone was a monster that title would belong to me. No one, not a single soul knew my deepest secret. Yes, dear, no one knows of the darkness that rests within you. Ash sighed then sat up, causing me to end up sitting in his lap. He glanced at me, his blue eyes twinkling, his lips twitching as if he was holding back a smile. The emotion soon disappeared to a cool far far-off look as he stood and placed me on my feet. Ash still had his arms on my shoulders. I hadn't realized how much taller he was than me now that he was up close. His eyes bore into mine, and I could make out the blends of the clearest blue ocean and sky in his eyes, it was beautiful. But at this moment he looked so cold, his face emotionless and frozen.

"Sofya, I need you to be careful." He said seriously then glanced around, pulling me around the corner. "You can't trust Sam." He said, and with that he took off, leaving me speechless once more. I wandered back to my room, my thoughts jumbling in my head.

"What the heck," I mumbled out loud. What did Ash mean? Don't trust Sam? Wasn't that his father? Whatever I didn't trust anyone anyway, not past a certain extent. I sighed, lying back on my bed. I need to find out more. What was going on with Sam and Ash, they acted suspiciously. Like they were hiding something. I needed to figure it out, but I'd start on that tomorrow because as soon as my head hit the pillow I fell asleep.

My dreams were plagued with horrible visions and nightmares. Of my parents, Sam, Ash, a bunch of creatures, and me, causing destruction and death. I woke up drenched in sweat. I took a deep breath, they weren't real, just dreams. It was the weekend so I could relax and do whatever. I decided it was time to do some snooping.

I peeked into the hallway, it was empty. I debated going to Ash's room, but I didn't want him to anger him any further. I crept up to the fourth floor. Sam had said that his private library and work stuff were up here so I figured it would be a perfect place to snoop. I cracked open one of the doors peering in.

It was a small library, still pretty big in my opinion but a lot smaller than the one Sam had shown me. I slid in and softly closed the door behind me. I peered at all the books and took a deep breath in inhaling the old book smell. I made my way over to the desk to find paper thrown everywhere. I picked one of them up and frowned. They were profiles of kids around my age. The one I had pictured a young girl with dark curly hair and dark brown skin. Her name was Lucy Avonic. It stated she was an aemon, whatever that meant. That she was seventeen and both her parents were still alive. She was from Michigan.

I put the sheet down and looked at a few others. They were all the same information about different people. They also said they were all aemons and they were all the same age, 17. I was getting suspicious of Sam, was he some kind of child slave dealer? As I rummaged through more papers and found a paper with my name. What the frick? Full name Sofyalisia Nalani Reza Winchester Kahale Volkova. Born: Oahu, Hawaii. Moved to Australia at the age of two. Parents, Bryn Annalisia Volkova and Galen Kahale-Volkov. Abandoned on Bondi Beach, then put into foster care at age seven. Taken in by the Winchester's till mysterious deaths. Currently resides with Sam Echevarria and Ash Cercillia. No current knowledge of the other realms or what she is. I stared at the paper. How could they have found this out? Here it was, document proof that my parents had truly left me, discard, unwanted, alone. I held in a hysteric laugh.

I heard loud voices echoing from down the hall, crap. I looked for a place to hide and ducked under the tablecloth of a table in one of the corners. There was a hole in the table cloth that ran to the ground, so I could see what was going on and who was in the room. I recognized Ash and Sam as they entered. They were yelling at each other and Sam's face was beet red, his hands balled into fists. My heart hammered in my chest. I felt like Sam would kill me if he caught me in here, especially with the way he was treating Ash. I tried to focus on their conversation.

"You have to kill her!" Sam shouted. Ash gritted his teeth. Huh, I guess I was right. He wanted someone dead, maybe me.

"I'm working on it, I can't just do it randomly."

"Well, hurry it up you only have a few days before Alek expects us back. Also, you never told me it was the girl that was in the prophecy. You lied, you know what happens when you lie Ash. You get punished." Sam snarled. Fear spiked in my veins. "She's even more powerful than I imagined. I can practically feel the power radiating off of her now that I know, she needs to die. Remember that Ash. You know the consequences." Sam said, a wicked smile erupting on his face. Ash held his calm and slipped off his shirt as Sam grabbed what looked like a whip. I held in a gasp realizing what was going to happen. Ash turned his back to me, and all I could see were the scars and recent wounds decorating his back. A single tear slipped down my cheek at the sight, my heart splintered.

Ash kneeled on the ground as Sam raised the whip. I closed my eyes as he swung it forward, the sickening sound echoing in my ears. My nails clawed my palms and I could feel a small stream of blood flowing down my hand. Ash didn't utter a single sound, he didn't even flinch.

Twenty lashes later was a different story, though. Sam had been counting out loud and now Ash was crying out, blood falling down his back and pooling to the ground. I felt so useless. My face was wet with tears and I bit my hand to keep from screaming. I couldn't make myself known though, otherwise, Sam would catch me and probably kill me considering his mad delusions but I was sure I could do something once he left. I had to help Ash.

After ten more lashes, Ash collapsed on the ground. "Well, I hope you learned your lesson, Ash. Never forget who you are." Sam snarled, kicking Ash in the ribs, before stalking out of the room. He slammed the door with a loud bang. I darted out from under the table and quickly checked the hall, it was clear. I rushed back in and knelt beside Ash.

"Ash?" I whispered, the blood I was kneeling in soaked through my pants. Ash lifted his head, his bright blue eyes meeting mine. His eyes were red and glassy with unshed tears.

"Sofya?" He said hoarsely. He looked in awe, blinking his eyes as if he couldn't believe I was real.

"I'm here to help," I said, my bottom lip trembling. He shook his head and attempted to sit up, he almost fell onto his back but I pushed him upright making him lean on me. It further ruined my clothes, not that I cared.

"No, you need to leave. He'll hurt you. Sofya leave, please." Ash begged. I shook my head determinedly. No way was I leaving him to bleed out on the floor, no way in hell.

"Nope. You're coming with me." I said, grabbing a hold on his arm. "I can't lift all of you, so you will need to help. I'm going to take you to my room. I have a first aid kit, and don't ask why." I told him.

I looked around the room for something to stop the bleeding so there wouldn't be a trail. There was a tissue box, so that would have to be good for now. I released his arm and he pitched forward. I caught him in time and gently laid him on the ground. Then I grabbed handfuls of tissue and pressed it against his back, mopping up the blood. Ash hissed in pain. I took hold of his arm and slung it around my shoulders. "You ready?" I asked. He nodded. "Ok, one, two, three," I said, heaving him to his feet.

We managed to stumble out into the hall and down the stairs. I made sure to see if anyone was out, but the halls were barren, thank god.

We finally got to my room and I led him to the bathroom. I had him sit down in the tub, so I could wash the blood away. I rushed into the room to find the first aid kit I had packed. I dug through my suitcase, throwing clothes everywhere in the process. I finally found the box and ran back to the bathroom. I ran a washcloth under the water and got the antiseptic cloth. Carefully I started washing the blood away. Ash gritted his teeth, not making a sound.

I had so many questions but it didn't feel right to ask when he was in pain. I also wondered what we were going to do after this. We seriously couldn't stay here. Not with a raving lunatic in the house.

Once I washed all the blood away I put a cream across the wound, then found another cream to help with the scars. I couldn't believe what Sam had done to Ash, I wondered how a father could do that to his son. It was so awful. I mean sometimes Jack would hit me but it was nothing compared to this.

After I applied the cream, I grabbed the bandages and wrapped his back. I tried not to look at his drool-worthy abs. I seriously failed. Sofya, not appropriate. My inner voice scolded me.

By the time I was done, it was almost midnight. I went to my room to change out of my bloody clothes. I probably should have showered but I had wiped most of the blood off my skin. It would have to be good enough for now. I quickly pulled on a t-shirt and pajama shorts.

I went to Ash's room to find some new clothes for him. I sprinted down the hall and opened the door. The room was just as big as mine but it was barren. I'm not sure what I had expected. I thought it would be somewhat decorated, some personality. Zip, nada.

I rummaged through his drawers and found a simple white shirt and cotton pajama pants. I checked the hall before crossing then darted back to the bathroom.

Ash was still sitting in the tub looking half dead, he had turned around so that he leaned against the wall. His eyes were closed and I wondered if he had fallen asleep. When I entered they flicked open. I gave half a smile and held up the clothes. "I brought you some clothes to change into," I said, placing them on the side of the tub.

"Thanks." He said, his lips moving slightly upwards.

"Your welcome," I mumbled, backing away to leave.

"Sofya?" Ash said, softly. Causing me to turn back. I looked into his pretty eyes finding myself wishing that I could look at them forever.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, for everything. I'm sorry you had to see this. I apologize for this situation." He said as if it were his fault. He averted his eyes, looking down at his lap. I don't know what overcame me but the next thing I did was not something I would normally do or something I had ever done. I walked up to him and placed my hand under his jaw so he was looking up at me.

"Don't you dare apologize," I said sternly with a frown. This was not his fault, not in the slightest. "Don't you dare apologize for something that was in no way your fault. I don't know what you were talking about with Sam, but Ash we need to get out of here. You can't live like this. I've been through abuse. One thing I learned though, is that it was never my fault and that I shouldn't have stood silently let it happen. I know there is more you're not telling me but whatever you do you can't live like this." I said, then stepped back, walking out of the room, leaving him to change. I would not let him make the same mistake I had. I couldn't find the strength to get away from Jack and Annie, and I regretted it. I would not let Ash do the same with Sam.

A few minutes later Ash came hobbling out of the bathroom and collapsed onto my bed, where I was sitting reading a book. I set the book down as Ash struggled to sit up. "Come here," I said, scooting over and pulling him next to me so he could lean on me. His weight was heavy, but it was not unbearable plus he was warm against my chilled skin.

"I promise to tell you everything tomorrow," Ash whispered. I looked at him, my eyebrows slightly raised.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. "Do you want me to help you back to your room?" I asked. I didn't think he wanted to stay with me. I was hoping he'd stay here because I was scared to be alone, concerned over the psychopath in the house. I would never admit that though.

"Is it ok if I stay here?" He asked. His pretty blue eyes looked vulnerable as I gazed into their watery depths, betraying the emotions he felt. I was so surprised at how open he was being that a few seconds passed and my mouth was still ajar, till I finally answered.

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted. Can you reach the light?" I asked. Ash breathed a sigh of relief and then leaned to turn the light off. I held a tight grip on his arm so he wouldn't fall off the bed, not that it was necessary it was comforting.

"You can let go of my arm now," Ash said, sinking under the covers. I quickly released his arm, not realizing I was still holding it.

"Sorry, Goodnight," I muttered, my cheeks flaming, laying down as well. God, what was wrong with me?

"Sofya, at your old foster home, were you abused?" Ash asked in the quiet of the darkness. I grimaced, not wanting to remember the slaps, the throwing of chairs, and countless other things. I couldn't lie to him though. I didn't think I could even if I wanted to.

"Yes," I said softly, Ash didn't need to know more than that. We had more current problems to worry about.

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. How long has Sam been whipping you?" Ash was quiet for a few moments and I'd wondered if I had crossed the line, till he finally replied.

"Eleven years, It's been eleven years now." He said, his voice seeming far away as if remembering a distant memory. I found his hand in the dark and gave it a small squeeze. Ash absently rubbed his thumb over the top of my hand. As I thought about our situation, I realized how awkward this was. I was lying in bed comforting a person I didn't know that was just whipped by his lunatic of a father. I didn't know what to think of it, but tomorrow things would change. I trembled, a chill sweeping through me. I wasn't alone in this. I wasn't alone for the first time in a long time. I mean sure I had Sara and Enzo but I only trusted them up to a point and this kind of stuff crossed that point. I didn't want to drag them into my mess of a life. The fewer people there are that can hurt you makes it so that there are fewer that will be hurt because of you. Even with Ash, I couldn't trust him completely. Because there was one secret I would never share, a secret I would keep till I died.

The next morning I woke up sprawled across my bed. I groaned, I didn't want to get up but there was so much to take care of today. The memory of Ash being whipped yesterday pulled at my heart. A few more minutes, a few more minutes then I would get up. I snuggled deeper against my pillow, inhaling the minty tea tree scent. Wait a minute. Pillows don't smell that good.

My eyes shot open and I realized I was lying half on top of Ash, my face buried against his chest. My cheek flushed, oh my goodness. Well, this was humiliating. I peered up at his face, thank god. His eyes were still closed, he was asleep. As I stared at his sleeping face a minute longer, his eyes blinked open. I quickly rolled over. I went tumbling off the bed and ended up crashing to the floor.

"Sofya?" I heard Ash's voice call out, worry embedded in his tone. I brushed my mop of hair out of my face and saw Ash peering down on me. He was laying across the bed on his stomach, his legs dangling off the edge. His ebony hair tousled, eyes wide open in concern, and mouth in a small pout. A smile started to form on my lips, he looked so silly and boyish. It was adorably cute.

"I'm fine," I told him, standing up. I climbed back onto the bed, sitting criss-cross applesauce next to him. Ash sat up, his eyes inspecting me. "So, about yesterday…" I started. Ash's eyes darted back to my face, his eyebrows shooting up. It looked hilarious because I could only see one of them since his bangs were covering the other eyebrow.

"Oh, I wanted to take you to the beach so we could be alone. I don't want Sam to find out. I was thinking I could sneak out and then you could follow a few minutes later." He said, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. I nodded, it was a good plan. Except I didn't exactly know how to get to the beach from his house. I suddenly felt really stupid, considering I had been here for more than a month.

"How do I get to the beach from the house?"

Ash briefly explained how to get there through a path in the woods. Then he left. I stretched out my back, then walked over to my closet. I decided I should probably wear a bathing suit, just in case. I picked out a black bikini, then pulled a cover-up over. I dug through my closet looking for my flip-flops, it took a few minutes but I finally found them. I slipped them on and then went to the bathroom to freshen up. I made sure to brush out the knots in my hair, I had been taken back when I first saw my appearance. It was a shock that Ash has not commented on my hair. It looked like a bird's nest, other than that there had been dried blood. Which was well, disgusting.

Once I was done, I thought enough time had been wasted, so I left.

I followed the trail through the woods, and soon enough I was stepping onto a white sandy beach. It was beautiful, the salty airlifted up my nose and I spotted Ash sitting by two surfboards on the sand near the shore. Why did he have surfboards? I guess he planned to surf. I smirked, good thing I knew how. I approached him and he stood up. I realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. His bandages were still on and the memories flooded back. I started trembling and tears threatened to spill over. I clenched my hands into fists to calm down and took a deep breath.

"Hey, Sofya," Ash said, greeting me. His eyes roamed my body as I slid the cover-up off, heat flooded my cheeks. I probably looked like a tomato.

"Hey, are we surfing?" I asked suspiciously. He nodded. My eyes narrowed. He had just been seriously hurt and now he wants to surf? "Are you sure you're up for that?" Ash gave me a questioning look.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, his voice dead serious. My mouth almost fell open. Was he serious, or was he joking? Because if he was being serious he was nuts. Suddenly a laugh escaped from his throat and my heart started pounding. "I'm joking Sofya, but I am fine. I'm used to it." He said, picking up a surfboard. I glowered at him, he should not be used to being beaten. I picked up the other board, following him to the shoreline.

I ran into the water before him, hopped on my board, and started paddling. A nice set of waves was approaching and I was determined to catch it. As the wave rose, I started paddling forward. The water was cool and smooth against my palms. I placed my hand on the board and swung my legs forward. Soon enough I was standing with my knees bent, the wind whipping through my hair. A smile overtook my face. I swerved sideways and brushed the wave with my fingertips as it curved over my head.

I loved surfing, it made me feel free and that was the best feeling in the world. I rode out the end of the wave and paddled to the shoar near Ash and stood up. I bowed before him, daring him to upstage me. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Let me show you how it's done," he said, racing into the waves. I turned around to watch him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was way better than me. I mean he was from Australia and they had major surfing skills. I mean technically I was from there too, but not as long as he had lived there. He took off into the water, paddling so fast it was hard to make out his arms. I gasped, the wave he chose was freaking huge and it was at least thirty feet tall. How the hell had a wave that big formed? But he was an awesome surfer, the man had skills. I was a little jealous. But at some point, he started to tip. He fell off and got crushed under the wave. I waited for a second, slightly frazzled. He didn't pop back up. Crap. Anxiety spread through me.

"Ash!" I screamed frantically. That idiot, I knew he was too injured for this but no he insisted he was okay. I ran into the water and dived down, the water was murky but it cleared after a moment, it didn't sting my eyes as I opened them to look for Ash. It took me a few minutes to find him, he was behind a large mossy rock, drifting lifelessly near the bottom. Oh my god. After accidentally inhaling a mouthful of water, I grabbed him, swam to the surface. Then to shore as fast as possible. I dragged him onto the sand, rolling him onto his back with considerable effort. I knelt over him, I took a deep breath to calm down. I was a trained lifeguard and I knew what to do. I started CPR and tried not to think about what I was doing as I pressed my mouth to his when I pulled back his mouth opened but he didn't gasp for air.

"You're an aemon." He said quietly. Then he sat up. I stared at him, bewildered. What the hell just happened. "Sorry to have scared you." He said apologetically. Then he wrapped his warm arms around me and pulled me close. He smelled of the mountains, pine, and tea tree oil and the scent relaxed my scrambling brain.

"What, you you you didn't drown?" I stammered. He shook his head.

"I'm like you Sofya, we were down there for thirty minutes." My jaw dropped, crap this was bad, very bad. He couldn't find out the truth. Wait a minute, he was like me? What?

"How so," I said defensively. He couldn't know this, he couldn't, no one could. He lifted his hand that wasn't wrapped around me and showed me his advanced watch that I hadn't noticed he was wearing. It read thirty minutes and counting. It had started at about the time Ash fell. I gasped if we had been under that long we would both be dead. Then the realization set in. He knew my secret. How I was different, not human, a freak. The secret I had worked so hard to keep hidden. Just one day, one day was all it took to ruin that.

"You are not a freak," Ash said, his brow furrowed. I noticed his arm was still wrapped tightly around me. I jerked back and stood up, prepared to run. This was not happening. He couldn't find out how ruined my soul was. Before I could dash away Ash caught my hand. The world started to spin, my head was throbbing. A wave of dizziness came over me, I started to fall and then all I saw was deep, dark blackness.

I blinked. I couldn't believe what I saw. I looked around in disbelief. I was somewhere in the mountains, large snowy peaks encircled an open meadow, tall green grass stood about, all-around people and creatures were fighting, explosions shook the earth. How in the world had I gotten here? Wherever here was.

A few feet away was a girl with long light brown hair on her knees sobbing, over someone laying on the ground. She had mud and blood stains all over her, a huge bloody gash across her arm. She was wearing really strange clothes, some sort of black leather. I stepped closer to get a better look. Oh, My God, it was me. I squinted in disbelief. The other person, who was laying on the ground was Ash. There was a dagger buried in his chest. Blood was oozing out of the wound. I fought the urge to scream, this was not real, it couldn't be. Right? Suddenly a jolt of pain shot through my skull pulling me back into the deep darkness.

"Sofya can you hear me?" A familiar melodic voice asked, coated with worry. I felt warm, strong arms around me. I didn't want to open my eyes. I was so tired but I bet said familiar person wouldn't stop till I got up. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Ash's face. Ugh, I was too exhausted to get up and I was still in my bikini, but at least there was a blanket around me. This was awkward, but it felt like I had known him forever, it was kind of nostalgic. But I couldn't remember meeting him before. He felt so familiar. I was still pissed at him, though. Very pissed. As my eyes came open, I saw a flash of relief go through his gorgeous blue eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"Mmm tired, go away please," I mumbled, my head spinning.

"Tell me what happened once you blacked out." He said. I sighed, it was just a silly, meaningless dream.

"It was like a dream, it was in the mountains, people and creatures were fighting, I saw myself and you, you um." I stammered. This was weird to say, but these past few weeks had been the most eventful weeks of my life and ultimately really strange. "Were stabbed." Ash turned white as a ghost, mouth slightly ajar. "What?" I asked hesitantly.

"I think you had a precognition." He said finally, running his hand through his ebony hair. I frowned, a what? He looked back at me and noticed my confused expression. "It's a detailed seeing of the future." He explained. I shook my head.

"No, it was just a strange dream," I argued, yawning.

"It wasn't Sofya," Ash said solemnly. I rolled my eyes, it was just a dream, it would be depressing if he had gotten stabbed, or well was going to, plus it had me in it, and I wasn't planning on fighting anything in the future, heck no. I didn't fight, at least not anymore that had died with my parents when they left me. "You tired?" Ash asked gently. I nodded, I was exhausted. Today had been too much, and yesterday wasn't the best either. I heard a collection of loud knocks pounded on the door.

Ash placed me down on the couch and stood up. My heart pounded rapidly in my chest. I stood up as well and followed him, wrapping the blanket tighter around me. I had somehow forgotten about the raging loon that owned this house. As I peered around Ash's large frame I saw a guy standing soaked, who looked about our age. He had black hair and yellow eyes, strange. I had thought my violet eyes were weird. Guess I have fellow weirdos in the world, well Sam also had strange eyes but I wanted to forget about him. Worried thoughts jumped in my mind, what if he found us here? What would he do? The guy gave a crooked boyish smile as he looked over us, his eyes settling on me.

"Hey Ashy." He said, his voice deep and rich. Ashy, that was hilarious. I giggled and took note of that so I could tease him later. I was still pretty pissed about how he pretended to drown, but I might forgive him but my common sense said it wasn't wise.

"Alex, what took you so long?" Ash asked the guy, crossing his arms over his chest, his muscles standing out. I wondered if Alex was like me, aemon, well that's what Ash had said. Ash had also said that he was one too. I also was starting to question my sanity, shouldn't I be more surprised at all of this. But for some reason it made sense, at least it explained how I could breathe underwater, and see in the dark, not to mention talking to animals. The first time that had happened it freaked me out, you don't even want to know. But they couldn't know about the darkness within me. No one could.

"I had some business to take care of and it was storming," Alex said rolling his eyes like it was obvious. "Now who's this pretty little lady?" I grimaced, I did not like being referred to as a "pretty little lady".

"That's Sofya, she's an aemon," Ash said, he looked like he wanted to say more but kept his mouth shut. He was hiding things. No dip sherlock. "She was just going to sleep," Ash said, turning to me and then he gently nudged me towards the staircase. I turned back to face them, he did not just tell me what to do, even if I did want to go to sleep before I ended up passing out, again. I poked him.

"You don't say what I'm doing, but I am going to sleep, nice to meet you, Alex," I said, flicking my hair over my shoulder before marching up the stairs. I took one last look at them, they were laughing at me. I scowled at Ash and huffed in irritation, I would find out more tomorrow. Today, I was too tired. I practically sprinted up to my room and collapsed on the soft bed, melting into the mattress. I was exhausted. So exhausted. It wasn't long before I passed out and my dreams were plagued with nightmares.

I awoke in a place that looked like it belonged in a fairytale. Red poppies surrounded the ground for as far as I could see, the sky was midnight blue covered with glittering stars, the moonlight glaring down from above. In the distance there was a huge castle-like building with green vines curling up the sides. A small smile blossomed on my lips. Now, this was a nice dream. I took a deep breath inhaling the sweet smell of the fresh wildflowers flowers.

"Who are you?" a strangely melodic voice asked from behind me. I screamed and whipped around to find a large figure looming over me. Okay fine, they weren't looming over me they were about a foot away but they were seriously tall, at least 6 ft 3 which I guess was the same as Ash but it dwarfed me.

I gaped up at them trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Their striking yellow-amber eyes stood out against their golden brown skin as they glared at me.

"Who are you? You ruined my perfectly good dream before you showed up," I snapped back giving a glare of my own. As I crossed my arms over my chest I realized I was wearing my pajamas which consisted of fuzzy cat pants and an extra-large shirt with the Canadian flag plastered on it. My cheeks lit on fire as I kept my eyes on theirs.

"I'm Hypnos, and this isn't your dream. I would know. I live here and since I've lived here no one has ever visited," he said, his head tilting slightly to the side. I narrowed my eyes, If I wasn't dreaming then where the heck was I? I mean he looked normal, sort of. He was wearing dark jeans and a loose black tank top looking like he stepped out of a modeling magazine. On his neck, there was a strange necklace with a familiar blood-red gem woven into the middle. My eyes widened. Now that I wasn't completely scared out of my mind I got a good look at the guy.

He looked around my age and was one of the most beautiful boys I had ever seen, not smoking hot and bulging muscles but beautiful in a different way. He was tall and lean like a basketball player but his style made him look like a Hawaiian surfer boy minus the board shorts. But the most noticeable thing was a giant white scar that ran from his temple, through his right eye, and down to his jaw. My lips parted as sorrow fashed through. I wondered how he got it, but that would probably be rude to ask about. His amber eyes seemed to glow as they analyzed me.

"What do you mean you live here? Where are we?" I asked my voice coming out as a whisper. A broken smile spread across his face.

"Welcome to the Land of Dreams," he said, taking a step back and spreading his arms out wide.